, -
GEORGE --.JnLOUIS and LEAH JnLDUIS 1 
)-, 
, 
j 
) 
ACT:!:tJ:J FDR'DAHAGES 
EUEBLO D1TERNATIONAL', INC., 
d/b/a SUPERFOODS SUP.EPJ,lARKET r 
De£e.ndarrt. 
) 
l' . 
) 
) 
-
\ 
') . 
------------~--------~----
ALBERT A. SHEEN, ESQUIP~ 
45:"47 -Company Sb:-eet 
.Christiq.ns.ted-, St. 
Croi:;~ 
U.S.- 'Ti:rg.in Islanc.s 
00820 
(B09) 773-3115 
(Attorney for Plaintiff) 
:' 
. 
DOUGLAS A_ TIFADY, ESQUIRE 
*6 Company Street 
. 
Christiansted, st. Croix 
u.s. Virgin Islands 
00820 
(B09) 773-2155 
(Attorney for Defendatl.t) 
. PETERSEN, Judge 
. HENOFANDUH 
June 1 
OPINION 
·1983 
, 
. 
• 
At issue· here are th8 guidelines to be followed when 
this COllrt is asked to q.:.:.ercise its discretion, pursuant to 
~'?ul"J - 39 (b), Fed.' 11. civ. Pro. " und grant ,a ·jury trial "to 
,~ 
F~d. ~. eiv. Pro.-
'1.u.b 
38 (b) , 
rIcmand a jur? tri-al at ,3..p-y 'tine up uti-til ,ten flO) 
(1ays att£3r 
, 
~:lj_·J::TS '_"".. 
:?USTlLC _ P:'_Sf;~·;AT_!C:';\L: 
'2I~,.rIL :ro. 1642./10:31 
.;\CTI:'J!·l FOR DZ'if'li"\G8S-
Paqa 2 
.::'ul:; 3Bid) 
a party fa.ila to comply with Rule 38 (b) .. 
the court r 
Zlotion of th2 par1:y that has failed "to comply l"vi'ch Eule 33 OJ) ... ' 
~he courts 
. 
-, 
nnra...I-Y 
shou.!.d be s;·:erClS9.Q .. 
138 
{3th ci::. 1°:1(0) 
r::,greemen1:. a.s to' 'hO'il this c1iscr:= cion 
_::~!-iP Tubosccne 1 
,..., 
- . 
' ... unnlnqna3 .. 
7.2d 150 
(10-'::h Cir. 1965) (should grant jury trial i;, ",bse!l.ce. 
of strong 
:J.nd 
compel'ling reasons to ·t-.J1e 
contrar'l) .. 
• 
C.: .. 
GeneJ:'ill Tire 'ft Rubber Co .. -v. 1-1atkins, 331 F.1d 192 {,l:th Cir.) t 
,':ert. denied 377 U.S.' 952 '(1964); Add-A,..Bi!l. Co. v. C·1.S.'J. Hot 
Nix Surqe & Storage EauiD. Corn., 54 F.R.D. 1 (S.D.li.Y. 1971) 
(no 
discretion 
to ·grant 
without 
special 
,. 
citcumstanccs) . 
It has been stated that those· cou.rts \vhich 
have 
taken 
the 
restrictive 
view 
when 
interpreting 
the 
l1i::;crction crranted by· Rule 39 (b) are, in e££ect, penalizinQ a 
part:y for its technical sh,ortcominqs by denyin~r a jury trial, 
~hich flies in the 
f~ce of the spirit llf the'rul(~s. 
P,?1',,,laK tJ. 
759 
(lJG'2) • 
On t:he 
Rule:; 381b) 
liar}: v. 7rancl.· ~ 
, 7· 
_,_I 
_~,.l. 
,~?1L:-:-I!:.T~l ',". :'EE!3LtJ 
=?i'=?E:::';i\'-~':C~:1Z\r .. ! 
T:rc. 
err:!.! ~ja. 1342/1931 
ACTIon ?QR !JA1L~GE!J 
Page '3 
V .. I. 
--, '-
;::; '-. T. 
.3'. , 
1 q -:"'! 
~ 
-
-;:~ -
j 
fai::est.H 
ZIark '7 .. ?rancis: 2UDr2., at 280. 
The court ought to approach each 
~pplication under Rule 39 (:::) 
\'li th 
an open 'wind 'and an eye -to the 
£s.ctu2.l sit.uat.ion i.n "Chat 
particule.r case, ratl1er than with 
a £i.;:'2:=: pol:'::y 'against '0r?..nting 
the 2.unlicaticn or ,e~,len a,-, pr2ccn-
r:ai V2C( noticrt that ::i;Jpl{cations' 0:: 
9 c. :'lright 
& 
A. 
t"liller, 
Feder~d. Practice a..l1d 
Prcceotu:'2: 
Ci'tlil, S_ect'ion 2334 at 115 (1971). 
Furthermore, ·the £ollcwing 
state.ment nnol.l1d be 1:ept in mind: 
" 'Haintenance of the jury 
RS 1. 'fact-finding body -is Df such_ impor,-t.ance ,and .. occupias so 
. 
. 
'. 
. 
, 
firn a place in our history and jurisprudence that any ,seeming 
. .curtailment of the right to a jury trial should be scrl1tin~zed 
t·,ith the utmost care. '" 
Collins v. Government 0 E the' Virqin 
Islands, 5 V.I. 622,632, 366 F.2d 279, 284 
(3d Cir. 1966) 
(q~otinq Dencon Theatres, Inc.v. Westover, 359: U.S. SOD, 501 
(1959)). 
[n 
'.>HTll1Q.l 
? .. 
Civil ;;0 .. 
. : 2/1 'J7 8 
(D. If: I. S ,m t. 
1 ~, 197!J) 
tho 
~is~rict ~ourt :~£ the 
arlot:)tcrl 
libcrul /ipproach to thr; 
CIVIL ~~O. ;:"542(13Bl 
';\CTTC':'J, FQR Di\IL'\GE-S 
Paq~ ~1 
Internai:ional~ : Inc. ~ 
C'~-r - r·larch 
q - , 
1983) 
?t1~blQ 
Civil cro. 
536/~.J82 
"t..t.;'e 
Court; 
~'al th~ugh it -'granted the 
bpinion il"l Samue 1 ~ supra r . ata-t2a -that ~ des:;Ji .. t3 tht:: ruli:lCI i.n 
Samuel 
it 
~·vas 
ac.cpting 
-the r82trictive apprD2.ch to the 
!?xercise 
:=utu!:'e, "::1:8 Court -::rill rtot- consider w,.~re i!"'.:.2..dvertence, 
of diligence or bare oversight by counsel as cons·tituting the 
snec,i3.1" circumstances that tifould \'larrant a sus;::ensian 
• • 
of the .requirements of Fed. 
P ... 
Civ .. 
P. 
38 (b) " 
F'r;"Jncis 1 
supr;:t, at 6 .. 
ApplyL'g e the foregoing to the factualsi~llc\tion at." 
bench, it is this Court j s determination that. no furthe~ance of 
the letl:er· or· the spirit of the "law ',lil1: be e£fes::ted by. 
donying the P.ule 39 (b) Hotion for iJ. jury trial. 
Thi~ Court 
~i:lnnot, i:1 fairness to th-e Plain tiff 1 
completely' iqnore the 
circunstLlncr.!sprior +:0 and after thE'! filinq of the complLlint 
'Jil ich 
jury trial 
dGmand. 
'~he 
P-lrrin tit f 
Ilperma'rk(~ t 
i!!-vol verI 
in 
thiJ 
,Yction;. 
This 
:;ubj '!ct ::upern:lr::et !liJ.d ceen sold to 
. 
. 
, 
· ... \C?I'.)::I 
Z?2q-e :5 
.. ""t 
... 
_~-~4, . __ 
contain a jury -::rial .. 
4 
_ < 
• 
,\-:nlcn 
~dn s 
£ir.st; 
Cour"t' s conclusion that -::he Plaifltiff has complied 
~-n __ '.:!: 
~he 
'spirit, 
of 
abu~e of di3creti;:)n to direct F.l trial by jury • 
• 
-, 
c.. 
r~orjbQr,-
Cvclo;ied; a of F8dGr8.1 
Pro.cedur~, Sect-,i::n 
~~:.. 23 
(3d 8d. 
1~67) 
Plaintiffs' motion will be granted. 
"